We're sunsetting PodQuest on 2025-07-28. Thank you for your support!
Export Podcast Subscriptions
cover of episode Rachel Syme Teaches You How to Write a Memorable Letter

Rachel Syme Teaches You How to Write a Memorable Letter

2025/2/14
logo of podcast KQED's Forum

KQED's Forum
AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
A
Alexis Madrigal
J
Jesus
J
Joe
面临上水汽车贷款，寻求多种解决方案以减轻财务负担。
R
Rachel Syme
Topics
Alexis Madrigal: 节目的引言就像信件，预示着未来和共享的时刻。Rachel Syme的书是一本关于关系、自我、纸张、笔墨、亲密关系和书信往来的颂歌，我非常喜欢它。 Rachel Syme: 写信重要的是发送这个行为，你无法控制信件寄出后会发生什么，但你的善意会被接收和反馈。邮政系统的魔法在于，花费不到2美元，你就可以把一张纸寄到地球上的任何地方。寄出信件时，我相信拉康的格言：信件总会到达目的地，即使没有回信，写信也能帮助你到达新的地方。在现代社会，我们沟通频繁，但信件有其他沟通方式无法比拟的独特之处。信件是独立的，不受时间压力影响，而其他沟通方式都有时间压力。现在没人会等待信件，所以你有足够的时间来表达自己。我从小就喜欢写信，因为我喜欢维多利亚时代的小说，信件能改变人生。我一直热衷于写信，但直到这个项目开始，我才有了真正想回信的人。在疫情封锁期间，我开始给陌生人写信，并创建了一个笔友交流项目。我在社交媒体上询问是否有人想和我互相写信，结果收到了数百条回复。我创建了一个笔友交流项目，并使用了Elfster.com的算法来匹配笔友。通过Elfster.com，我成功地将成千上万的人匹配在一起，让他们互相写信。与笔友交流感觉像是脱离现实，进入了一个特殊的泡泡，我很喜欢这种感觉。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Letters offer a unique, self-contained space for communication, removed from the immediacy of other media. The author contrasts this with the time pressure of texts, calls, and emails, highlighting the letter's ability to foster a slower, more thoughtful exchange. The author's personal love of letter writing stems from childhood experiences and the power of letters in literature.
  • Letters provide a self-contained space, free from time pressure.
  • Unlike other forms of communication, letters allow the recipient to set their own pace.
  • The author's passion for letter writing began in childhood, from early exposure to classic literature and unique correspondence formats.

Shownotes Transcript

New Yorker writer Rachel Syme loves letters — their content, the paper they are written on, the envelopes that enclose them. For Syme, “A letter is a vessel that can gently cradle family drama that would otherwise explode at Thanksgiving dinner; it is the ideal medium for giving voice to what is difficult to say out loud, and for reconciliation, forgiveness, and clarity.” In her new book, “Syme’s Letter Writer,” she offers advice on how to develop a letter writing style, how to write about juicy gossip, and how to write your mother. We talk to Syme, and hear from you, what’s a letter you’ve written or received that changed your life?

Guest:

**Rachel Syme, **staff writer, The New Yorker; during the pandemic, she founded a pen pal exchange that attracted 10,000 members from over 75 different countries